Antiparasitic formulation

ABSTRACT

There is disclosed an antiparasitic formulation comprising Eucalyptus oil, Cajeput oil, Lemongrass oil, Clove bud oil, Peppermint oil, Piperonyl and Piperonyl Butoxide. The formulation can be used for treating an animal body or in the manufacture of a medicament for treating ectoparasitic infestation of an animal or for repelling parasites.

The present invention is concerned with an antiparasitic formulationand, in particular, with an antiparasitic formulation which can be usedto control ectoparasitic infestation and any contagious diseasesresulting therefrom.

Ectoparasitic infections of animals such as sheep are widespread. Suchparasites include, for example, ticks, mites, lice, keds, head fly andblow fly, amongst others. Ticks contribute to a condition known astickborne fever which is an infectious disease affecting almost allsheep which graze tick-infected pastures. It is caused by themicroorganism Cytoecetes phogocytophilia, a rickettsia transmitted viathe bite of sheep ticks. Ticks also contribute to tick pyaemia, or“cripples”, which is believed to kill or disable in excess of a quarterof a million lambs each year in the UK. Mites on the other hand causeintense irritation to sheep, which react by rubbing against fence posts,or the like. If no fixed objects are available, they rub against eachother spreading the disease further- Mites also cause foot scab, a mangeinfestation of sheep. Blowfly strike, however, is a particularly nastycondition causing untold misery and death to sheep flocks. It is causedby blowfly which feed on decomposing matter containing liquid proteinupon which: the blowfly feeds and amongst which it lays its eggs. Anyopen wound will, attract the flies. Once the larvae hatch, the sheep canbe literally eaten alive by successive waves of maggots.

Many antiparasitic formulations are known, for example, as pour-onformulations or as total immersion dips for treating sheep. Plungedipping is a technique which is generally used to control certainparasitic infestations of sheep, such as skin parasites, because itallows thorough penetration of the fleece and access to the skin by theantiparasitic formulation. The formulations used to treat ectoparasiticinfestations, generally, comprise compounds which contribute toirritancy of or toxicity to the animal upon administration thereto.Examples of such compounds include, diazinon and propetamphos, forexample. Other compounds, such as pyrethroids and permethrins aresuitable for pour-on formulations, whilst in plunge dips it is theorganophosphates which are frequently used.

These compounds are toxic not only to the animals but to theadministrators alike. Furthermore, many sheep dip formulations cannot beused to treat, for example, larval infestation of wounds such as in thecase of the larvae of blowfly which feed on the dead and damaged tissueassociated with wounds or scouring. Treatment of blowfly larvae isnormally carried out using mild insecticidal creams. Toxic substances,such as contained in many sheep dips, cannot be applied because under nocircumstances can the above mentioned formulations be applied to openwounds. The formulations used previously also contribute to are releasedinto the environment. The use of these compounds must therefore betightly controlled and a considerable number of regulations apply to,for example, disposal of sheep dips.

Accordingly, there exists a need for formulations which when applied toan animal can effectively eradicate common ectoparasitic infestation andany resulting contagious diseases and which formulation similarlyalleviates or ameliorates the disadvantages described above whilstminimising trauma and shock to the animal.

Therefore, there is provided by a first aspect of the present invention,an antiparasitic formulation comprising in an antiparasiticallyeffective amount, Eucalyptus oil, Cajeput oil, Lemongrass oil, Clove budoil, Peppermint oil, Piperonyl and Piperonyl Butoxide. Preferably, theformulation is further diluted with water and in such an embodiment anamount of a suitable surfactant is also included in the formulation inaddition to lanolin.

In a preferred embodiment, the formulation comprises:

% By Volume Eucalyptus oil 4-6 Cajeput oil 0.5-2.5 Lemongrass oil 1-3Clove bud oil 1.5-3.5 Peppermint oil 0.5-2.5 Piperonyl 1.5-3.5 PiperonylButoxide 0.3-0.9 Surfactant 0.05-0.15 Lanolin 0.5-1.5 Water  80-90%

Preferably, however, the formulation comprises in approximate amounts byvolume, 5.3% Eucalyptus oil, 1.3% Cajeput oil, 2.0% Lemongrass oil, 2.5%Clove bud oil, 1.3% Peppermint oil, 2.7% piperonyl, 0.6% PiperonylButoxide, Surfactant 0.1%, lanolin 1% and water 83.20%.

In a preferred embodiment the formulation may be further diluted to 1part formulation per 200 parts water, for use as a sheep dip.

The formulations according to the invention are particularlyadvantageous because they avoid the use of hazardous compounds such asorganophosphates which can be toxic both to the animal the uses and theenvironment. The absence of such compounds also minimises any trauma,shock or irritancy to the animal. The formulations are also safe for useby humans without risk to health and they are also considerably lessdamaging to the environment. The oils used are registered with theDepartment of Novel Foods and Flavours at the Ministry of AgricultureFisheries and Foods. Neither the Council of Europe's Committee ofExperts on Flavouring Substances nor any other European committee hasrecommended limits on the use of these essential oils. These oils havebeen evaluated by the US Flavouring Extract Manufacturers' Association(FEMA) who have classified them as GRAS (Generally Recognised As Safe)in 1965. These assessments were published in a paper Hall R. L. and OserB. L. (1965). The formulations of the present invention therefore avoidthe use of any organophosphates, permethrins, pyrethrums or derivativesthereof so they are significantly safer for the animal, the operator andthe environment,

In another aspect of the invention, the formulation according to theinvention may, advantageously, be used in the treatment of an animalbody so as to, for example, treat ectoparasitic infestation, such as, insheep, and also any subsequent contagious diseases resulting from theinfestation.

According to a further aspect of the invention, there is also provideduse of a formulation according to the invention for the manufacture of amedicament for treating an animal of ectoparasitic infestation. Theformulations may be applied directly to the animal but preferably areused in a total immersion dip, such as used in a sheep dip, thusallowing the formulation to sufficiently penetrate the fleece so as tosubstantially eradicate the infestation.

External parasites of sheep include, amongst others, Damalinia ovis(biting louse), Linognathus ovillus (sucking louse), Lucilia spp(blowfly), Culicoides (midges), Hydrotaea irritans (headfly). Theformulation of the invention may be used to control infestation of sheepby these parasites. Other parasites that may be effectively eradicatedby the formulation of the invention include scab mite (PsoroptesCommunia Ovis), tick pyremia and other tick borne fever, sarcoptic mangeand keds. The formulation of the invention is, however, particularlyuseful in repelling the blowfly parasite and in eradicating the larvaeof the blowfly which infest open wounds in sheep or areas where scouringoccurs. Thus, the formulation is particularly advantageous by virtue ofits use as a dip formulation and yet which is sufficiently non-toxic tothe animal that it can also be used, not only to repel the blowfly butto eradicate blowfly larvae, which cannot normally be treated with sheepdip formulations.

As is known, oil of eucalyptus is obtained from various species ofeucalyptus and the resulting oils do not possess a uniform analysis. Itis believed, however, that the properties of the eucalyptus oilaccording to the invention are not dependent on a particular source ofoil of eucalyptus and one may use oil derived from Eucalyptus globulusand/or Eucalyptus dives. Eucalyptus oil is rich in cineole and desirablyeucalyptus oil according to the invention comprises cineole andpreferably 1-8 cineole in an amount of from approximately 35 to 90% byvolume.

The invention may be more clearly described by reference to thefollowing example:

A formulation according to the invention was prepared by combining andmixing all of the oils of the following ingredients in the approximateamounts provided:

% product Eucalyptus oil 5.3 Cajeput oil 1.3 Lemongrass oil 2.0 Clovebud oil 2.5 Peppermint oil 1.3 Piperonyl 2.7 Piperonyl Butoxide 0.6Surfacare T20 0.1 Lanolin 1% Water 83.20 Total 100%

The essential oils together with piperonyl and piperonyl butoxide aremixed. The mixture is then slowly stirred at ambient temperature andthen the surfactant is added in addition to a small amount of water andlanolin. The mixture is then high shear stirred to a cream consistencybefore the final addition of water up to the percentage amountidentified above. The product is then pH tested and sampled against a GCstandard. Application of the formulation to sheep by way of a plunge dipserved to alleviate infestation of sheep by their common parasites.

EXAMPLE

A number of field trials were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness ofthe above composition in treating ectoparasitic infection of sheep. Asolution of the composition further diluted to 1 part composition to 200parts water was prepared for application by way of a plunge dip. Thedipping tank held approximately 400 gallons. 1000 animals were passedthrough the dipping tank. Each animal absorbed approximately 1.5 litersof solution in the fleece. After each 75 lamb/ewe dip the dipping tankwas further topped up with the same solution to make up 400 gallons.After this field trial on Jul. 2, 1999, all animals were protected fromblowfly and other ectoparasitic infestations until September when afurther dip was performed. The period between July and September is themost crucial as at least 70 out of every 1000 animals suffer blowflystrike during this period.

In further tests, the formulation of the invention was applied directlyto healthy live specimens of ticks, blowfly and their maggots, headfly,the mite psoroptes communia ovis that causes sheep scab, redmite, andboth types of lice the formula of the invention induced 100% death ofall these parasites in less than one minute.

What is claimed is:
 1. An antiparasitic formulation comprising byvolume, Eucalyptus oil 4-6%, Cajeput oil 0.5-2.5%, Lemongrass oil 1-3%,Clove bud oil 1.5%-3.5%, peppermint oil 0.5-2.5, Piperonyl 1.5-3.5%,Piperonyl Butoxide 0.3-0.9%, Surfactant 0.05-0.15%, 0.5-1.5% lanolin andWater 80-90%.
 2. A formulation according to claim 1 comprising inamounts by volume, Eucalyptus oil 5.3%, Cajeput oil 1.3, Lemongrass oil2.0%, Clove bud oil 2.5%, Peppermint oil 1.3%, Piperonyl 2.7%, PiperonylButoxide 0.6%, Surfactant 0.1%, lanolin 1% and Water 83.20%.
 3. Aformulation according to claim 1 which is further diluted to 1 partformulation to 200 parts water.
 4. A formulation according to claim 1for use in the treatment of an ectoparasite in an animal.
 5. Aformulation according to claim 4 wherein said animal is a sheep.
 6. Aformulation according to claim 4 wherein said ectoparasite is blowfly orits larvae.
 7. A sheep dip comprising a formulation according toclaim
 1. 8. A method for treating ectoparasitic infestation of an animalor for repelling said parasites which comprises applying the formulationof claim 1 to the animal.
 9. A method for treating ectoparasiticinfestation of an animal or for repelling said parasites which comprisesapplying the formulation of claim 2 to the animal.
 10. A methodaccording to claim 8 wherein the animal is sheep.
 11. A method accordingto claim 9 wherein the animal is sheep.